Ken

France is on target. Even someone with your superior intelligence and insight will have to wait until it’s all over to see which country got it right. Life in France seems to have been reasonably good to me. Life in France , I feel, is better than reasonably good. That doesn't detract from the very real fact that the vaccination program in France and the E.U. generally has been pathetically bad. It may be on target but when the bar is sufficiently low that isn't difficult! Of course having a superior intelligence makes understanding that easy!! I suppose dimwits have a harder time understanding it!

Ken, surely you mean ONLY 20 million vaccinated? Indeed! The rest of Europe is just as lax: The much vaunted E.U!! (By the E.U. anyway!!!)

Quite honestly I feel the E.U. (France) couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery! Sorry about the language but that is how it seems. 20 million vaccinated, it should be a national disgrace.

NormanH: Well you have at least two champions who also think I'm being obtuse! With regards limited understanding; well, at least my 'obtuse' comments are open and not veiled in any way! Not having an effect on changes because I don't have a vote doesn't mean I won't understand my rights in the future. At the risk of being obtuse, your sentence is nonsense. I know my rights now and I would know them in the future despite not being able influence those changes. When you paste something do try not to distort it by only pasting part of what you wrote.

NormanH: At the moment you may well do, but without the right to vote you have no say in how that may change in the future. Engage a logical thought process. Not having a vote doesn't mean I don't know or wouldn't know what would be my rights. Your sentence is a little bit silly!

NORMANH said: This is not about where one lives geographically it is about the right of a British national to vote in British elections. In other words about citizens' rights. Ah! Citizens rights! I'm sure you are very much in favour of your rights! I repeat; In my view we shouldn't have the 'right' to vote. I know perfectly well what my rights are and have no need to be pompous about them.

Some of us are still taxed in UK. We also pay taxes in France. What you are saying is taxation without representation, Seem to recall a little incident in Boston USA a few years ago. I still pay tax in the U.K. What has that to do with it? You want representation then live in the country you want to represent you. You decided to forgo that right; now presumably, you are moaning about a decision you voluntarily made!

BANANA: The Queen’s Speech contains a proposal to return the right to vote to those of us who have been outside the country for more than 15 years My own view, obviously not shared, is that we who have left the U.K. shouldn't have the right to vote in the U.K.. I simply cannot see that I should be allowed to vote , essentially, about issues that do not affect me as a resident of France. Some people don't just want a piece of the cake they want all of it!!! To make your blood boil even more I don't believe we should (as foreigners ) be allowed to vote in France either (We don't of course!) You want to vote in a country ;U.K. or otherwise then become a citizen of that country.

Yes, I have heard of frost. It's something to do with being cold I understand. Here in the Pays Basque people have talked about it!!!!

BinB: At the beginning of the month my nephew put his house in SW England on the market for just over £500,000. There was so much interest in it the estate agents asked all the serious parties to send their offers in by the beginning of the following week. My son , in the. SE of England has also just been offered the asking price for his house £600.000. In addition the buyer has offered an additional £15,000 if he can conclude the purchase by the end of June! Unlike France though where people are pushing up prices because of Covid , in the UK it's because of the re-introduction of stamp duty.

Prices have increased outside major cities and the price of property in cities has fallen. it was reported on the news several weeks ago and is, apparently, because of Covid. people feel the 'air' is cleaner outside the cities!! Can't blame them I suppose, hopefully they will stay away from the Pays Basque though (says he selfishly!)

If you put aside what people think he was and replace it with what he was a different picture does emerge. In terms of military expertise he was a genius and far ahead of his time. It took the combined armies of Europe , plus a nasty bout of cold weather in Russia to beat him. The civil code today still bears the hallmarks of his lawmaking, debatable though some aspects of it are! Having said all that I suppose it fair to say that ultimately he was a loser!! That the French 'celebrate' him is probably because he is (was) the nearest thing to success in war the French have ever had, not winning any war of their own that they entered or fought!!!! I disagree entirely about the sarcophagus and its setting. In my view it is magnificent but, each to his own!

BANANA: 163000 folk. Now, if those are all soldiers with guns IF, a very big 'if' and most unlikely. But even if it were The population of France is around 60 million!! so a few disaffected soldiers, even with guns, are of little consequence. France is as famous for its riots as it is for its monuments. No, I don't think you believe there could be civil war in a nation that shows little or no sign of it. Riots, perhaps but life is too good; and they know it!

My view is that this is a complete load of hype and nonsense. There is no risk of civil war in France, there never has been. Civil unrest , yes but civil war , no. Macron may, or may not, make concessions, that is. very much the French way. I think that like all of his predecessors, he will make concessions. He has already. But civill war, absolute nonsense. The majority of the French people may not like him but civil war? It is too ridiculous for words. I'm surprised that some people even think it a possibility. Most people are not that stupid!

Communing with nature; Nothing better. As you say , something you never forget.

Well I have!! And before anyone takes offence let me say it was a young Great tit that one of my cats had chased into the garden shed. I was walking in the garden and spotted a cat taking great notice of a bush!! As I approached a young Great tit flew out and into the shed followed by the cat. I ran in and shooed out the cat and spotted the bird sitting on a cross beam. Wanting to get the bird out I gently raised my hand to make it fly out but it wouldn't budge! I moved in closer and eventually I was gently stroking it. It seemed perfectly happy and gave a few 'cheeps' in apparent contentment but obviously it had to go, particularly as the cat was still watching from the doorway and licking its lips!!! I gently cupped the bird in both hands and again it didn't seem bothered, very strange! I took it outside and released it up into the air where it flew across the garden and into an adjoining field where it found a perch on a tree. From there it disappeared. I have never been able to stroke a wild bird like that before and it was a lovely thing to be able to do. I just hope that it quickly sharpens up its survival instincts!!!

Still no card! I received my email acknowledgement that my application had been received. That was back in October! I received another email a couple of months ago that the application was now at my local sous prefecture. They did give me another ref number. Since then —nothing! I'm not in the least bothered. I have lived in France for too long to be worried by delays, it is the way they do things!! It may turn up one day, on the other hand it may not! I just wonder what the result would be if I never get it; probably nothing at all, who can really be bothered?

BANANA: Well I can 't argue against what you have found other than to say I'm still splitting hairs! Your article mentions a 'grande guerre' after the title of civil war.and I still stick to what I said that there hasn't been a civil war since the revolution and that wasn't really a civil war. We both know what we mean by a civil war: The civil war in the USA, the War of the Roses in England, modern Middle East etc. That has never happened in France. You could apply the term civil war to any dispute but as I said, we both know what a civil war is!

own against town, brother against brother, village against village, it was Civil War. Though there were troops involved from outside the region; most of the Vendéen generals were local and the others were outsiders. Same with other areas of France. Unfortunately insurrections don't count as civil war!!! I'm afraid you need to check your definitions of what civil war is!

ANOTHER BANANA wroteAnd the Vendée Wars, Ken? Well, I did say since the revolution did I not? The Vendee war was during that period. It may also be splitting hairs but..; academics have always referred to the Vendee war as 'War' not a civil war.

MINT: Oh dear, I didn't mean that the manufacturers claim that their vaccines would absolutely prevent you from getting the virus. Unfortunately though that is what you did say! It seems you have a Champion anyway who says I'm 'mouthy' A rather polite expression from someone who isn't!!!!

ALBF wrote: Oooh Kenny boy. Can I call you Kenny ? Of corse you can . That's what my mum called me! The fact is there isn't a civil war going on. Stop dribbling when you have your milk!!!

If you have a decent insurance you will have an emergency number to call.

Thanks, Judith. I suppose it could be that the jabs do not absolutely prevent the jabbed from catching the virus, despite all the manufacturers' claims? I don't know of any manufacturer of vaccine that claims the vaccine absolutely prevents someone from catching the virus! Just where do you get that nonsense from?

There is no danger of civill war in France. There hasn't been since the revolution and that was hardly civil war. Anyone who thinks so must be stupid! There has never been civil war in France and I feel sure there never will be.